Robert Lowe is an awesome singer as we all know that by now, don´t we? His main work as the vocalists of both Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass can surely be credited with some superlatives full of certain cliches - and basically we all subscribe to his awesomeness for that special gift he has got as a great singer of heavy metal. Well, don´t we?

Concept of God is actually a side-project of 3 current Solitude Aeturnus members and one ex-member of the band (John Covington on drums). Musically - as much as I wanted to hear something completely different, this unfortunately isn´t that far removed from either the Solitude Aeturnus or Candlemass stuff. There are a lot of certain elements on VISIONS that people can also find from both S.A.´s as well as Candlemass´ stuff. In fact, if I was mean enough, I would say this record contains 'leftover' (a rude word, but sometimes it hits the nail deep and meaningfully enough into the coffin) songs of both S.A.´s and Candlemass´ recording sessions. But I won´t say that; I´m not that mean - hell no! ;oP

Traditional doom metal done with in a mild 70´s spirit is the name of the game on VISIONS. The songs are somewhat okay-ish and just ´nice to listen to´, but they don´t offer any extraordinary or that mind-sticking moments at all the same way as the latest efforts from both Candlemass and S.A. did. So, it´s just natural that one starts questioning what´s the actual purpose of releasing an album full of only half-decent material, because we know what these guys are capable of, don´t we? I simply don´t get it, sorry. Without mangling this recording too deep down into the pit (where it might belong to), I have to say I really like a song called "Soul Embrace" with its slight Sabbath-ish ála BORN AGAIN album type of eerie and hypnotic feeling in it. Also, a wide grin of satisfaction creeps over my face from somewhere every time when I hear "Hearing Voices", which has a strong reminiscence of what makes Candlemass such a unique doom act in the world of heavy metal in general. But the problem however is, it sounds too much like Candlemass, so...

Concept of God´s own cover song from Rainbow´s "Man on the Silver Mountain" is a good tribute to Mr. Blackmore´s group, but unfortunately I don´t believe people will get too excited to hear the song, when this team´s purpose to record the album under Concept of God´s moniker remains to be a sort of mystery. Probably Concept of God is totally pointless or not, but I can hardly believe people will remember this album any more after 5 or so years. VISIONS is a good album, but not good enough for cherishing after some decades have passed by.

This is a side-project including members from the doom metal legends Solitude Aeternus from Dallas, Texas. Concept of God took form back in 1999 when Steve Moseley began to write material for a different project while his main band took a break. Moseley introduced his ideas to his co-member Lowe and he was psyched about doing something different together. In late 2000 they entered the studio and recorded nine tracks; they didn’t have time to record more because Solitude Aeternus were doing a new album. Seven years later, Concept of God is ready to be awakened and release its debut album.

Concept of God deliver faster doom metal; guitarist Moseley delivers rock-hard heavy riffs like there’s no tomorrow and all Lowe’s majestic and charismatic voice bring the material even higher. And if you’re into Solitude Aeternus at all then you’re gonna love this. They do an unexpected cover of the Rainbow classic “Man on the Silver Mountain” and they do it well. I’m into doom metal but I sometimes find it to be a little bit dreary and slow when it grinds on in the same tempo. Concept of God, however, doesn’t fall into that trap; their material includes a few up-tempo songs and the entire album is of a high standard.

The production is extremely heavy and dark as it should be. Lead vocals and guitars are the main focus and they really take the album to a higher level. I think this is what genuine and perfect doom should sound like, and contrary to many of the other bands in the genre, Concept of God’s debut does not feel long, slow and dreary. This band has managed to take doom metal a step forward and hopefully many other bands will be influenced by them. They have injected a well-needed dose of vitality in this often gloomy genre. I strongly recommend this to all hardcore fans of doom metal.